Dead Deal
by tanglefire4ever
Summary: When Rumpel dies and enters the Underworld, he doesn't look forward to the afterlife. So he strikes a deal with Hades, God of the Dead.
1. Rumpel meets Hades

Rumpel couldn't recall exactly how or why he'd come to be in this place. It was dark and gloomy, with cavernous walls leading down to various tunnels. And there was a line of people, some old, some young, of various ethicizes standing and waiting for something.

"Excuse me." Rumpel said to a nearby elderly woman, "Could you ah…tell me what we're all waiting for? I don't seem to recall how I got here."

The woman turned to him, "You don't know how you got here?" she asked.

"Eh…no." Rumpel replied.

The woman took a deep breath, "Been doing any reckless driving lately?"

"I…I beg your pardon?"

"Excessive drinking?"

"Wh…no?" Rumple asked.

"Have you been sick?"

"Not in the conventional sense."

"Unhealthy eating maybe? High blood pressure?"

"Not that I'm aware of…"

"Have you made any enemies? Anyone who would like to kill you?"

Rumpel didn't answer the last one, "Pardon me but um…I don't see how all of this all connects together."

The woman gave him a grim smile, "It's simple. You're dead. I know it's shocking at first, but you'll get used to it."

The line began to move forward and Rumpel found himself losing balance. He caught himself against the tunnel wall.

"Dead eh? I-I'm afraid that's not possible." Rumpel said.

"Denial." The woman muttered.

"No- you see, I'm not exactly the easiest person to kill. There has to have been some mistake." The line continued to move forward, and Rumpel could feel his panic rising with every step, "It takes a very… _specific_ process to kill me."

"Then you had a really cunning foe." The woman said.

The line proceeded to move until they arrived at what appeared to be a booth. Inside were two short men, one was fat the other very skinny.

"Name please." The short fat man said.

The old woman replied, "I'm Jenny Fairwinker."

"Jenny Fairwinker." The skinny man consulted a long scroll he held in his hand, "Jenny Fairwinker. Died November 2, 2015. Cause of death- stroke. Second portal."

There were two portals on the wall, both identical, and both swirling with some mysterious magic. The old woman walked through the second one and disappeared.

Rumpel approached the booth.

"Name please." The fat man said.

"Where did that woman go?" Rumpel asked.

"Through the portal." The fat man said.

Rumpel rolled his eyes, "And where does the portal lead?"

"Well," the skinny man said, "One portal leads to the Fields of Punishment- "

"And the other to the Isle of the Blessed." The fat man finished for him.

"The one you walk through is determined by how you lived your life." The skinny one explained, "Those who lived good, virtuous lives, trying to do the right thing go through to the Isle of the Blessed. But those who racked havoc on the world -"

"The schemers, the deceives, the evil-doers-"

"Go to the Fields of Punishment."

Rumpel looked nervously from one portal to the other, "Which one did the old woman just walk through?" he asked.

"Ah-ah-ah. We can't tell you that." The fat man lifted a finger.

"It's against company policy." The skinny man said, "You'll just have to find out when you walk through."

"Uh-huh…" Rumpel said.

The fat man consulted the scroll, "What did you say your name was?"

"I've had a few." Rumpel answered.

"Well, name off some and we'll see if we can find you on the list."

Rumpel thought about lying about his name. (It was very likely the portal they would direct him to would not lead to The Isle of the Blessed) But then he remembered the old woman. When the two men had found her name they had listed the cause of her death, and Rumpel was very curious to know the cause of his own.

"Rumplestiltskin."

"Rumplestiltskin…" the two men muttered as they consulted the scroll.

"There it is, Rumpelstiltskin. Also known as The Dark One, Crocodile, and Mr. Gold. Died November 2, 2015. Cause of death: Stabbed by quote-unquote "The Dagger"." The skinny man read aloud.

"Does it say _who_ stabbed me?" Rumple asked.

"When found bring to Hades immediately." The skinny man continued.

"Who?" Rumpel asked.

" _Hades_. Lord of the Dead. Ever heard of him?" the fat man asked.

"No, actually."

"Well let's just say he's a god that doesn't like to be kept waiting." The men dismounted their booth and began leading Rumpel down a tunnel.

"You know, I never did catch your names." Rumpel said.

"Our names are something long and complicated you could never hope to pronounce. But for short, you can just call me Pain." The fat man, also known as Pain, said.

"And you can call me Panic." Panic waved.

"So, Pain and Panic, this Hades…what's he like?" Rumpel asked.

"Well, he _is_ Lord of the Dead so he's _immensely_ powerful." Panic explained.

"And he's also got a short temper, so don't get him steamed up." Pain added.

"Brilliant." Rumpel said.

The tunnel branched out into an open cavern lit with a greenish glow.

"Well, good luck!" Panic said.

"We'll just being going now." Pain added and the two scampered off.

Rumpel entered the cavern, "Hello…?" he called.

Silence.

"Charming place you have here…" Rumpel said, looking around at the flaming torches and skulls.

Perhaps the so-called god wasn't here to see him after all. He turned to leave.

"Going so soon?"

Rumpel nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Hades. Lord of the Dead. Hey. How ya doing?" Hades stepped out of the shadows. He was tall, taller than Rumpel and he wore robes of billowing smoke. His eyes were yellow, as were his pointed teeth, and his hair was made of blue fire.

"Sorry if I scared ya a bit there." Hades continued, as Rumpel stared at him with wide eyes, " Theatrics, you know, couldn't resist. So, _Rumpelstiltskin_! My main man! How's is goin'?" he gripped Rumpel around the shoulders, "you doing ok? Can I get you something?"

"Uh…" Rumpel removed Hade's arm from his shoulder, "No thank you."

"Alright then. So, Rump, you finally kicked the bucket, huh? How's it being dead? You like it? Afterlife lookin' all peaches and cream?"

"Um, no, not exactly." Rumple said.

"Aw, that's too bad. I mean, you did cause a _lot_ of havoc up there on the surface. The world wouldn't be the same without you scheming, plotting, and making deals. A lot of lives were twisted, some even ruined, because of you. But hey. We've all got our own agendas right? It's a shame you couldn't exactly finish yours."

"You seem to know an awful lot about me, while I know absolutely nothing about you." Rumpel remarked.

"All you need to know, Rumpel, is that _I'm_ your ticket out of this place." Hades said, "You say the word, and I put you right back on the surface."

Rumpel thought on this for a moment. Then he smiled an clasped his hands behind his back, "Really?"

"Yes." Hades replied.

"You…" Rumpel began to pace slowly, "Have the power to make me live again."

"Oh yeah."

"As though I never died?"

"Bingo."

Rumple paused and cocked his head, "I know you're asking me for a deal. You forget that I am the master of bargains and I know everything comes with a price. What's the catch?"

"What? Catch? There's no catch, only a little fine print. Let's just say that sometime in the future I'm going to ask you to do me a teensy weensy little favor. Ok? No biggie. But you have to comply, because otherwise I snap my fingers and you're right back here, facing your eternal judgment. That fair deal?"

"And what would this favor entitle?" Rumpel asked.

"How about we cross that bridge when we get to it, huh? In the meantime the land of the living is waiting. How's bout we shake on it?"

Rumpel stared at Hades extended hand, "You'll make me alive again?" he asked.

"As lively as a cricket, baby."

"We have a deal." Rumpel took his hand.

There was a flash of blinding light and then darkness.

 **(A.N. This was inspired when I went to a OUAT panel** **where the Queens of Darkness asked the audience what villains they wanted to see next. The crowd shouted "Hades!" and my mental gears started turning. So far this is what happened. I'm trying to be faithful to Disney while adding some additional Greek Mythology plus a little spin. Feedback appreciated.)**


	2. A walk in the library

When Rumpel awoke he found himself lying in a forest. Scratching his head and rubbing his shoulder, he wondered if it had all been a dream. Hades, Lord of the Dead, the Underworld, it all sounded pretty ridiculous now. Perhaps he had bumped his head and hallucinated the entire scenario. He certainly _felt_ like he'd smashed his head on something. Well, only one thing could answer the question of whether or not he'd actually died; where was the dagger?

Rumpel searched himself. Nothing. He was certain he'd had the dagger earlier. Had someone taken it? Panicking, Rumpel searched the ground. Where was it? Where was it?!

"Lost something, Rumpel?"

Rumpel whipped around, to see Hades leaning against a nearby tree. So it hadn't been a dream.

"Well, if it isn't Hades the Lord of the Dead." Rumpel said, "What brings you here?"

"Wanted to make sure you made the journey alright," Hades replied, "Coming back from the dead isn't always a picnic. Though it seems you have bigger problems on your hands."

"The dagger's missing." Rumpel said, as he anxiously continued to search the forest floor, "I can't find it anywhere…wait." Rumpel ceased his searching asked, "You said I died, right?"

"Well, it'd be kinda hard for me to bring you _back from the dead_ if you hadn't actually died in the first place." Hades said.

"And in order for me to die someone would have to had killed me," Rumpel went on, "Thus transforming said someone into the new Dark One and ridding me of all my powers."

"Ehhhh…well, there _is_ a little snag there." Hades said.

"What do you mean?" Rumpel asked.

"You see, in order for a new Dark One to be made the _old Dark One_ has to _stay_ dead." Hades explained, "Otherwise the Darkness will leave the new guy and badda-bing-badda-boom go right back into its original owner. Also known as you."

"So I've still got my powers?" Rumpel asked.

"Pretty cool perk, huh?"

 _It is a "cool perk"._ Rumpel thought. Then felt guilty as Belle's face flashed before him.

 _"You love power more than you love me," Belle had said all those months ago as she pointed the dagger at his chest. "And you will_ always _love power more than you love me. I love you Rumpel. I command you to leave Storybrooke."_

If dying had stopped him from being the Dark One he could've gone back to Belle. And his love of power would never have come between them again…

"You ok there Rump?" Hades asked, "You look a little down."

"It's nothing." Rumpel said. He cleared his throat and changed the subject, "You seem to know an _awful_ lot about the Curse. How did you come to aquire such knowledge?"

"Eh, what can I say, I'm a god." Hades threw out his hands, " I've been around for a while. I hear things. That and the dagger actually came from my kingdom, so you know." He shrugged.

Rumpel's eyes widened, "The dagger came from _your_ kingdom?'

"Well, duh. It's a weapon designed for _death_. And not just anyone's death, the death of someone who's supposed to be impossible to kill. What better place than the _realm_ _of the dead_ to get such a weapon, am I right?"

"Does that mean you know where it is?" Rumpel whispered.

"Whoa, hey, I said it came from my kingdom, not that I've been following its every move." Hades protested.

"So you _don't_ know where it is?"

Hades took a deep breath, then released it, "No. Not a clue. But hey, lemme know how the search goes, ok?"

"Well, chances are the person who killed me might still have it." Rumpel said, "The only problem is I have absolutely _no_ idea who that person is. I don't suppose _you_ could help me figure that out?"

"Who killed you hmm…" Hades rubbed his chin, "You got any enemies?"

"More than I'd like to admit." Rumpel said.

"Yikes. Anybody who'd want you dead?"

"It's sufficient to say _all_ of them would want me dead."

"Ditto yikes. Not a very popular guy, were you?" Hades asked.

"Not really."

"Well, who is the last person you recall seeing?"

Rumpel thought back. His memories were quite fuzzy. He recalled (with pain) Belle commanding him to leave Storybrooke. He recalled returning to Storybrooke, trying to continue his life…trying to figure out how to get Belle back…the awkwardness between Belle and himself…

"I can't remember. Everything's blurry." He muttered.

"Well, it'll come to you. In the meantime, though, I have things to do. Nice seeing you Rump. Ta-ta." Hades waved and vanished in a cloud of black smoke.

Rumpel sighed and slumped against a tree. The god of the Underworld was maddeningly unhelpful. It appeared he would have to solve all of his problems by himself. Perhaps that was for the best though, considering Rumpel didn't know if Hades could be trusted. Well, he wasn't achieving anything by standing in the forest. Better go somewhere he could find some answers.

Belle was shelving books when Rumpel walked into the library. She started when she saw him, "Oh." she said, "Rumpel. What are you doing here?"

"Just browsing." He said.

The silence between them seemed to last for a year.

"Well…um…let me know if I can help you find anything." She finally said.

"Ok." Rumpel said.

She nodded awkwardly and said, "Well, I better get back to…" she motioned to the books.

"Right. Of course." Rumpel said far too hastily. And formally.

As he watched Belle scramble to another part of the library, he felt the pit inside of him grow deeper.

He wished their conversation had lasted longer. He wished all their conversations could last longer, like they used to, when the two them would stay up long nights talking to each other. When he would make her smile that special smile she had just for him…

Rumpel felt tears brimming in his eyes and he swallowed deeply. No time for that now. He had a mission. A mission to research a certain death god.

Rumpel located the Mythology section quickly and set to work. He pulled each book out, reading the titles.

 _Egyptianology…no._ He slid the book back on the shelf.

 _Stories From the Norse Myths, no…_ He slid the book back into place.

 _Tales of India…_ he pushed the book back.

As Rumpel reached for the next book he got the distinct feeling that he was being watched. He paused, sighed loudly and said, "Do you _ever_ knock?"

"Not really my style." Hades said as he appeared from the shadows.

"Perhaps it should be. So, do you have a point or are you just here to bother me?" Rumpel asked as he returned to searching the shelves.

"I'm seeing how your progress is going. Any leads on the dagger?" Hades asked.

"No. But my research would go a lot faster if you weren't distracting me." Rumpel said as he ran a finger over the next title _Legends of Beasts and Saints._

"Seems to me like you could use a little help. Why not ask dane at the front dest?"

"You mean Belle?" asked Rumpel.

"Yeah. Belle. She seems to like books, why not ask her?"

"Because I'm doing well on my own," Rumpel said as he read the next title: _Tales of the American Indian…_

"Orrrr you just don't feel like speaking with moi cheri." said Hades, "I saw your little conversation back there. Talk about awkward. The tension could have be cut with a knife. So what's your history together?"

"Don't you have some Underworld business to attend to?" Rumpel said irritably as he scanned the title of _Legendary Heros_.

"Not right away. They aren't the most lively bunch if you know what I mean. _You_ on the other hand are far more interesting. So what's going on between you and Belle?"

Rumpel put the book back on the shelf, "Nothing at the moment." he said, and the truth of his words rang louder than he wanted it to.

"Well something must have happened between you two." Hades said.

Rumpel paused in his searching to give Hades a dangerous look, " _Yes._ Something happened. But that's not really any of your business, and if you don't mind I'm _really_ busy right now."

"Ok, alright." Hades lifted his hand, "Touchy subject. I get it. How's about this: You tell me what happened between you and Belle and I'll leave you alone for the rest of the day. Deal?"

A muscle rotated in Rumpel's jaw. He didn't want to make another deal with Hades. He hated being in the god's debt as it was. But it was probably best to research the god while he wasn't standing over Rumpel's shoulder.

"Fine." Rumpel said. He smiled and turned away from the bookshelves. Facing Hades, he stated, "Belle is the most beautiful woman in all of Storybrooke, in all the world, even. But she's more than that. She's a hero. She's seen through me and saved me more times than I could possible count. I owe her everything for that. She loved me when no one else could or would. And yes, we did have a relationship." Rumpel tapped his fingers and studied the ground, "But I had another love in my life. It came between us. And like everything else she saw that too. So she ended our relationship. Does that answer your question?"

"For now." Hades replied.

"Good." Rumpel said, placing a finger on a book titled _Mythology of the Ancient Greeks._

 **(AN: Thanks for reading. May not have another update for a while though, since school is picking up. Srry the Rumbelle was short but there is more to come.)**


	3. Meet Hercules

It was a nice evening at Granny's. The café had a fair number of costumers sitting in clusters and talking softly. Regina and Emma were sitting at the bar, sipping their drinks. Mary Marget and Charming were cooing and feeding their child messy baby food. Belle was reading a book and sipping tea. It seemed to be a regular evening –that is until a stranger burst through the door.

"Fear not good people of Storybrooke!" shouted the strange man. He was tall, with bulging muscles and curly red hair. He wore a long blue cape, a chest plate, what appeared to be some sort of skirt, and sandels, "My name is Hercules, son of Zeus, and I have come to save your city! Times are dire, I know, but I shall protect you from the grave dangers that lay ahead." He drew his sword, "Now lead me to the beasts terrorizing your village so I may slay them!"

The café grew silent. Everyone was staring. One could have heard a pen drop.

Hercules gave a nervous chuckled, "Heh." He scratched the back of his neck, surveying the customers, "Usually I'm greeted by a cheer or…by people screaming for my help…"

They continued to stare.

Hercules cleared his throat, "Well um, just show me to the monster and I'll ah….get right on it."

"Are you _lost_?" Regina asked.

"No! Not at all. You see, the prophesy said I'd have to save your world from total destruction so Hermes sent me through a portal and –" he put his hands on his hips in a last ditch effort to look heroic, "Here I am."

The café was silent for another moment, then Mary Margret gasped, "Oh!"

Hercules breathed a sigh of relief, "See, I knew somebody knew what I was talking about."

Mary Margrett rushed up to Hercules, "You look _fantastic_!" she exclaimed.

"Really?" Hercules said.

"Yes! I love your outfit!" she gushed.

"Really? 'cause I was wondering if it made me look big around the hips." Hercules said.

" _Not_ at all, it's very authentic." Mary Margret said.

"Well, you know, Authentic Hero, that's- that's me." Hercules said.

"I'm so glad you volunteered." Mary Margret said.

"I'm a Hero. It's basically my job," Hercules said.

"And I'm _very thankful_ ," Mary Margret said, "But the thing is, Story Day isn't until _tomorrow._ "

"S-Story day…?" Hercules stared blankly.

"Yeah, Story Day, at the school. To promote reading." She sighed happily, "The children are going to _love you_."

"I- I'm sorry ma'am, I think you have me confused with someone else." Hercules said.

"But aren't you one of the guests?" Mary Margret asked.

"I'm –I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about." Hercules said.

"You don't know what…" Mary Margret stepped back, "Then who _are you?"_

"I'm Hercules!" the strange man exclaimed, his voice growing higher, more desperate, with every word, "And I'm here to save your city. Aren't there any horrible monsters…? Natural disasters…? Screaming children…?"

"No, thank goodness." Regina interrupted, standing, "But I _do_ believe we have _one_ raving lunatic."

" _Regina!"_ Emma hissed.

"Listen, Hercules." Regina said, "I don't know who you are or where you came from, but I think you should –" she glanced at Emma, who raised her eyebrows, "Stay. For the night. At one of the local Inns. At least until you get your wits about you."

"Stay. Why yes, I shall stay, and one day I shall save your city! You won't regret this, I promise!" Hercules said.

"Mary Margret." Regina said, "Would you be so good as to show this…man…where he can stay for the night?'

"Of course…" Mary Margret said uncertainly.

"I'll go with you, just to make sure he doesn't try anything crazy." Charming said, "Belle, will you watch the baby for me?"

"Of course." Belle said.

As they lead Hercules out of the café Regina returned to her seat, "Did my actions satisfy you, Miss Swann?" she asked.

"They were good." Emma said, "You're getting better on how you treat people."

Regina sighed, "I still don't know if we should let him stay here."

"Maybe he's telling the truth." Emma said, "I mean, everybody here is from another world, maybe he is too."

"Oh please." Regina said, "In all my years as the evil queen, I never encountered a _single_ hero known as Hercules."

"Maybe he's from a world we've never been to before." Emma said, "Anything's possible, right?"

"Well, he still strikes me as a pretty boy in a Halloween costume."

Emma chuckled, "A flattering Halloween costume."

"Flattering? Please. He was showing far too much skin."

"At least he has the body for it."

"Miss _Swann_ , we're out in public." Regina said with a smile.

"Just sayin'." Emma took a sip of her drink.

"Back to the point, though, I don't think he should stay for too long. He could be dangerous." Regina said.

"You know, maybe that's your problem." Emma said as she ran a finger around the rim of her glass.

"What?" Regina asked.

"You don't trust anybody." Emma said.

"Neither do you." Regina said.

"Yeah I do." Emma protested.

"Not enough to let anybody get close." Regina said, "I recognize a wall when I see one. I've built a few myself."

"I've let people get close." Emma said.

"Like who?"

"Like…my parents." Emma said.

Regina scoffed, "Have you? You've got a relationship, but did you really let them in? They seem awfully desperate for your attention for that to be the case."

"We're…close." Emma said, "I'm not going to tell them every detail of my life, but…we're pretty close."

Regina swallowed her drink, "And Hook?"

"Hook's...gosh I don't know what Hook is."

"Pretty fixated on having you, I'd say." Regina said, "I've seen you two together. He's gone bananas over you. Can't seem to get a break."

"We've gone out on a few dates," Emma said, "I'm just…not sure if I'm ready to take things to next level."

"Want my advice?" Regina asked.

"What's your advice?"

"If you want something, reach for it, and don't be scared of having the happiness you want." Her eyes acquired a sad, distant look, "Otherwise you might miss out on it altogether."

"A happy ending." Emma whispered, "You'll get yours, I know it."

"We'll see." Regina swallowed, "In the meantime it's late. I should be getting home."

"yeah, I should too." Emma said.

Regina did not go home right away. Instead, she took a detour, to the local Inns. It wasn't hard to locate where Hercules was staying, considering he was the only guest in the town, thus he was in the only occupied Inn. Regina approached his door and tapped on it.

"Who is it?" Hercules called from inside.

"It's Regina, the woman from the café. May I come in?" Regina asked.

The door creaked open, "Oh, it's you. Um, hey." Hercules said, "What can I do for you?"

"I'm here to talk to you." Regina said.

"Well, come on in." Hercules said, motioning to his dark room, "Sorry it's dark, I can't locate a lamp."

Regina flipped the light switch.

"Whoa! How'd you do that?" Hercules asked.

"It's called a light switch," Regina said.

"Light…switch." Hercules said, flipping it on and off.

Regina watched him flipping the switch for a minute, then covered it with her hand, "Enough. I mean…" she cleared her throat, "that'll do. You really are from another dimension, aren't you?"

"Yes. I come from the land known as Grease." Hercules said.

"You're from Grease?" Regina asked, looking surprised.

"Well, not your version of Grease, another one." Hercules explained, "I have been sent to save you."

"Yes, you…mentioned that at the café." Regina said.

"So," Hercules stood, placing his hands on his hips, "Are there any monsters for me to slay?"

"Not at the moment." Regina said.

Looking disappointed, Hercules dropped his hands, "Then what did you come here to talk to me about?"

"I came to ask you a few questions." Regina said, "This uh…world you're from, what's it like?"

"Um, well the buildings are different, we wear uh, togas different from what you do, we don't have any 'light switch' and uh hmm… well, everybody knows who _I_ am…"

"Never mind, we'll come to that later." Regina said, "What I really want to know is, why did you come here?"

"To save your world," Hercules said, "There's this prophesy you see, that says without the action of a hero, your world is gonna end, and a dark time begin, something about comets colliding and worlds combining…" Hercules rotated his hands in a circle, "I don't remember all the details, but the important thing is I'm here to stop it!"

"So what you're saying is, our world is in some kind of …danger?" Regina asked.

"Yeah, exactly!"

"And you are here to prevent that?" Regina arched an eyebrow.

"Isn't that what heroes do?" Hercules asked.

Regina pressed her lips together and paced to the window, "I'm the wrong person for you to ask what heroes do."

"…But you believe me, right?" Hercules asked.

"Honestly? I'm not sure. At any rate, I think you believe it, but whether or not it's because we're in some kind of danger or you hit your head at a costume party, I'm not sure."

"I'm serious! I really am-"

"Save it." Regina interrupted, holding up her hand, "If what you're saying is true and Storybrooke really _is_ in some kind of danger, rest assured I'm going to find out about it. And when I do I'll destroy it, because the only threat I'm comfortable allowing into this town, is _me._ "


	4. Rumpel searches for his killer

Regina left the Inn, deep in thought. Comets colliding, combining worlds, the end times…If Storybrooke really _was_ in some sort of danger, she needed to find out, and fast. There were all kinds of spells she could try to help her find out if anything was going on, but she needed to do some research first.

As Regina rounded a corner to reach her car, she heard a familiar voice say, "Hello, Regina."

Rumpel was standing outside, leaning against her car.

"Hello." Regina said, "What are you doing here?"

"What's the matter, Regina? Are you surprised to see me?" Rumpel asked.

"Not particularly. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Rumpel studied his fingernails, "I was just wondering if my presence surprised you."

"Considering you always show up at the most inconvenient of times, no." Regina answered, "Now do you have a point, or can I leave? I have business to attend to, and I'd like to get home before midnight."

"What kind of business?" Rumpel asked.

"I don't think I'll tell you just yet." Regina replied.

"No matter. But does this business have anything to do with what happened to me yesterday?" Rumpel rubbed some dirt of his nails and eyed Regina intently.

"What do you mean, what happened to you?" Regina asked.

"Well surely you know, Regina." Rumpel said, giving her that crooked, gold-toothed smile, she was all to familiar with, "I was assaulted, so to speak, by someone, and I really don't take kindly to that."

"Assaulted?" Regina raised her eyebrows, "By who?"

"I was hoping _you_ could help me figure that one out, Regina." Rumpel said.

"Believe me, if I knew the person who assaulted you, I'd be congratulating them, that is if, they were still alive."

"Oh, come on, Regina," Rumpel pushed himself off her car, "You've been wanting me gone for some time now, haven't you? How exactly did you do it? A spell? A potion? Did you have one of your minions do it for you?"

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." Regina said.

Rumpel opened his mouth to say more, then, seeing the look on Regina's face, paused and squinted at her, "You really don't, do you?"

Regina continued to give him a look of annoyed confusion.

"Never mind, then." Rumpel tilted his head, "Forgive me for wasting your time. Goodnight, Regina."

"Goodnight…" Regina said slowly as she watched him disappear into the distance.

Emma was locking up her car when she heard someone come up behind her. She sighed loudly, her breath condensing the cold night air, "What is it you _want_?"

"Perhaps you can help me with that, Miss Swann." Rumpel said.

"Can this wait until tomorrow? I'm kind of tired." Emma said. It was late, and she really didn't feel like talking to Rumpelstiltskin.

"No, I'd rather settle this right now." Rumpel said.

"Fine." Emma relented. She turned around, shoving her hands into her coat pockets, "What is it?"

"Yesterday someone attacked me. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that now would you?" Rumpel asked, cocking his head.

"Someone attacked you, gee." Emma said, "I wonder who would do that."

"So do I." Rumpel said.

"You mean you didn't pulverize, curse or otherwise punish this person?" Emma asked.

"No I don't think so."

"That doesn't sound like you." Emma said.

"No, it really doesn't." Rumpel mused, almost to himself.

"So why are you telling me this." Emma asked.

"I was hoping you could help me figure that out." Rumpel said, "We've had some falling-outs in the past -"

"You think?" Emma said.

"-I've done some things to you. But I never imagined you'd find a way to get me back."

"Get you back?" Emma asked, confused.

"Yes, Miss. Swann. Or should I say the _Savior_? The heroine? The girlfriend of the man who's heart I almost crushed? Tell me, did you do it for the good of the town or was it just plain vengeance?"

"I'm not sure I follow you." Emma said.

Rumpel scoffed, "Really? Because it would be exactly the thing for the Savior to do – wouldn't it? Rid the world of one more bad guy?"

"Ok, I'm just going to go inside now." Emma said as turned away and started to march up the steps to her apartment.

"Wait!" There was a rush of air and Rumpel appeared in front of her, gripping her arms tightly, "Was it you? Were you the one who did it? Did you try to kill me?" he demanded.

"Just so you know, I have _no_ idea what you're talking about. And if you don't let go of me and stop rambling like a crazy person, I'm going to throw you down this flight of stairs." Emma said.

Rumpel's face softened, and he smiled, "They'll be no need for that, Miss Swann." He said. He snapped his fingers and vanished into a cloud of purple smoke.

Emma shook her head and went inside.

So neither Regina nor Emma was responsible for his death. Rumpel thought as he strolled into his pawn shop. That eliminated two suspects, but there was still a town full of people who didn't especially like him. He would have to do some more interviewing tomorrow. Surely his murderer hadn't gone too far. Why would they if they had killed the infamous Rumpelstiltskin? At any rate, it was time to get some rest. He would continue his search in the morning, and when he finally found his killer, Rumpel was going to make them very, very, sorry for what they had done.


End file.
